


Ocean Eyes

by KillTheDirector



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Mermaids, The Little Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-05
Updated: 2012-07-05
Packaged: 2017-11-09 06:36:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/452424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KillTheDirector/pseuds/KillTheDirector
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel watched as his sisters would call sailors to their island, the boats crashing against the rocks and the human men dying in the water. </p><p>He doesn't wish to capture the humans and force them to love him, but in order to become immortal, a human man must fall in love with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ocean Eyes

The ocean was bright above, swirling in blues and greens and the occasional purple. Castiel's eyes were wide as a few air bubbles leaked from his nose; he slowly rose to the surface, the water flowing off his tail easily. A content sigh caused more bubbles to leak from his lips, the splashing of the waves breaking on the rocks of his family's island the only noise apart from the quiet murmurs of his sisters.

Castiel allowed his body to drift towards his family's island, the top of his head bumping against the rocky shore; his ears perked at the sound of his sister's laughter, and in his mind, Castiel could imagine them weaving flowers into their flowing hair. His face crumpled slightly while he lifted a hand to his chest. Castiel's eyes fluttered open where they were met with the vast blueness of the midday sky.

His sisters had more chance of gaining immortality than he; the merman sunk into the waters, taking a deep breath of air as the water closed over his head. A long fingered hand shoved against his flat chest as he glared down at his masculine fingers. Sailors were more keen to fall in love with his beautiful sisters; already his sister Anael had gained immortality, holding it above he and his sisters' heads like a sweet prize.

He hated his hands, his features, his half body. His sisters squawked and fretted over him, confused at his appearance but helping him decorate his body with shells and flowers whenever a ship had been sighted in the distance. Anael used to brush through his black hair, touching under his wide eyes with a delicate finger; she would sing him lullabies and tell him stories of the gods. "You are so different from us, Castiel." Her fingers would make quick work of the knots that normally caused his hair to stick on end. "You are beautiful...but you are different."

Castiel dug his hands into the sandy bottom of the reef, curling his tail underneath him as the ocean pushed all around him. Fish swam, floating like stars in the dark water; a large pink fish floated close to his face, touching his nose before swimming away. Many more fish began to dart away, hiding in crevasses of the cliff and the coral reef. Castiel blinked, confused before the tip of a shadow washed over the bay.

One of his sisters dove into the ocean, her dark red tail causing a stream of bubbles to trail after her. She wrapped thin hands around his arm, tugging him toward the surface. Her excitement shown through her movements, and her bright green eyes danced. Castiel followed obediently, dread washing through him, understanding that the only thing to make his sisters this excited would be a ship siting.

They climbed onto the shore, pulling their useless tails behind them in the rocky sand. His sisters were loud as they decorated themselves, chatting happily and beautifying their appearances. Castiel stayed behind, unsure of what to do as he watched them weave flowers through their hair. Anael watched with pride before she caught his eye. A soft expression of disappointment washed over her normally serene face.

"Castiel." She moved toward him, more graceful than she would have been if she were mortal. Her fingers wove through his hair, tugging his face towards her own. "What are you doing? Why aren't you getting ready?"

Castiel shrugged a shoulder, his eyes straying from his sister's to the horizon. A ship was moving quickly toward their island, and soon it would be upon them; his gut clenched at the thought of yet another failure. "I cannot...it will never..." A smile perked the edges of her lips as she stroked the side of his face.

"Have faith, little brother." The chatter of his sisters swelled, causing both of them to turn their attention towards the ship sailing closer. Castiel sighed, feeling Anael quickly braid a Narcissus into his black hair. Her hands fell onto his shoulders, propelling his land-clumsy body towards the rocks where his sisters began their song.

Castiel's blue eyes glanced shyly at his sisters, feeling small in the crowd of eight half-women. He could feel his differences like a thousand stabs to the heart, and once more his thin hand gripped at his flat chest. He was not beautiful like them, he was not appealing to these women-starved sailors. A pitiful noise worked its way up his throat, lost in the enchanting melody of his family's song.

The ship moved closer, close enough that Castiel could see the men aboard. Several began to curiously peer over to the island, shouting something while others joined them. The song of his sisters rose in volume; Castiel felt a shoulder jab at his side, prompting him to join. His low voice blended harmoniously with his sisters' alto and soprano. He saw the ship quickly lurch in the direction of the island, the movement causing his sisters to excitedly push against his shoulders.

The rocks of the reef were shielded by the ocean, innocently waiting to rip out the bottom of the wooden vessel. Castiel's voice died in his throat as he watched the impact. The crack of the boards breaking on the sharp rocks, and the screams of the men as they plummeted into the sea echoed in his ears. With a cry, Castiel pushed away from his sisters, dragging his tail into the water.

The ship's occupants screamed loudly, some sinking to the bottom of the ocean as if they didn't know how to swim. Castiel dove, his hands stretching to catch any that may have been able to be saved. He gripped a man who was kicking widely, a rope around his arms and legs; Castiel's hands clasped around the man's arms, causing the human to look blindly up at him. Green eyes were wide as they met blue; air bubbles escaped from the man's mouth, snapping Castiel back to reality.

His tail propelled them easily through the water to the surface. The man gulped down lungfuls air, struggling against his bonds. He tried to push away from his saviour, words choppy because of his coughing. Castiel pulled him towards the island's rocky shores, glancing about to see that his sisters were trying to save the other men who had fallen overboard.

The man used his arms to pull him onto shore, coughing and drinking air like it was the finest wine. Castiel remained in the shallows, eyes wide as he watched the man become limp on the sand. The human's chest rose and fell quickly, shuddering every once in a while with a wet cough. His sisters pulled their own men to shore, holding their heads and trying to breath back life into them. Some wailed their grief when one of their men didn't move, others shrieked in delight when their men gave out violent coughs to clear their lungs.

Castiel watched his own man (He had saved him, therefore the man was his) breathe deeply, the bonds around his wrists seeming to rub the skin raw. The men who lived stirred in the sand, rubbing their eyes before opening them to be met with the images of his beautiful sisters. Castiel dove to the ocean floor, not wanting to see his own man's eyes fall onto one of the women. He felt his jealousy well under his heart but he quickly squelched down the feelings. If the gods believed he did not deserve immortality, then let the man he saved fall in love with one of his sisters.

He settled on the cool sandy bottom, digging his hands under the grains before his fingers closed around a sharp shell. His eyes glanced up to the glittering surface as he remembered the man's bound wrists and legs.

Castiel surfaced to only his eyes, peeking from the ocean to the shore. The men who lived were clustered around his man; they seemed to be jostling him, their voices angered. His sisters were watching from the shallows, their female halves showing while their fish halves remained hidden from the men. They talked worriedly amongst themselves before another of his sisters, Lisa, spotted him.

She swam toward him, an expression of concern on her pretty face. "The men speak strange things," She said, glancing to the group of humans who had left his man alone. "They say that that man is responsible for their misfortune...that he is cursed by their god 'Satan'." Her brow furrowed, and Castiel could feel the motherly energy rolling off of her like waves. She bit the inside of her mouth, pulling him closer to his family. "They plan to kill him!"

His fingers tightened around the shell, the edges cutting into his skin and causing them to bleed. His jaw clenched involuntarily, and as he glanced toward Lisa, he could see that her concerned expression had turned to one of anger. He leaned his forehead against her's, glancing toward the shore to see the group of men glaring suspiciously in his family's direction. "I will free the human..." Lisa nodded and pushed for him to move; Castiel swam closer, counting the heads of his sisters to make sure all nine remained safe.

Anael met his eyes, her expression as blank as his own. They had already lost one of their sisters before to a group of men like this, they would not know grief again.

The man was sitting up on the sand, his mouth downturned in displeasure. He picked at the rope binding his legs together, shifting every so often in the rocky sand. Castiel studied him, wide eyes blinking. The man was almost as beautiful as his sisters, only he held the grit that could only be possessed by a male. Castiel's eyes traced the man's jawline, his full lips, his furrowed brow. Vibrant green eyes lifted to the ocean, locking with his. A small gasp left Castiel's lips while the man's gaze washed over him.

The human stared him down, shifting ever so slightly on the sand. Castiel slowly swam closer, his hand shaking slightly around the shell. The man's eyes flickered to the conversing group before they rested on back onto the merman. The human shifted closer, careful not to make any noise as he came to the water's edge; Castiel watched as the man lifted his wrists towards him, nodding once.

The shell cut easily through the ropes; the man rubbed at the raw skin, breathing out a quiet thank you and watching as Castiel worked on the ropes binding his legs. When the man was free, he quickly hopped to his feet; the group of men looked up, giving a cry of surprise before the human unsheathed a dagger hidden in his boots.

There was blood spilled and harsh words barked by the men fighting. Castiel's sisters wailed, backing away from the violence being displayed on their island; crimson blood flowed into the waters as the man stood over the fallen group, his breath labored. Castiel remained in the shallows, his white skin becoming stained with the group's blood; his eyes were wide as he watched the human clean his blade on his cloth covered leg.

The man slid down to the sand, his bloody fingers twining in his dark blond hair, leaving a trail of crimson on his forehead. His eyes were squeezed shut as if he was in pain; Castiel glanced to his sisters back to the man before moving closer. His tail dragged on the sand, knocking gracelessly against the butchered men's bits. The human was curled in something like a ball, his legs pulled tightly to his chest while heavy breaths caused small shudders to wrack through his form.

Castiel began to lift a hand but let out a shocked squeak when rough fingers grasped his skinny wrist. Blazing green locked onto him; an animalistic snarl curled up the human's plush mouth. Castiel gulped down his fear, relaxing his body to merely stare at the man. The human's eyes flickered down the merman's form, his brows furrowing before his gaze shot back to Castiel's. "...what the hell?"

The merman tilted his head in confusion, interested in the sounds coming from the man's lips. He moved closer, invading the human's personal space, his hands coming to rest on either side of the man's face. The human sputtered, trying to move out of the merman's grasp; Castiel made a sound of annoyance, pulling the man's face closer. "Why do you not speak like I do?"

The man frowned, lifting his hands to try and tug at Castiel's. "I don't know what the hell you're saying; let go of me!" He seemed to have forgotten the knife; it glinted innocently up from the sand. Castiel turned his face away from the interesting human to glance at his sisters; they merely stared, eyes wide and still full of tears. Anael motioned for him to touch his lips to the human's.

Castiel turned again to the struggling human; he tilted his head before placing his lips against the man's. He felt the human jump and try to push away, but the merman's fingers wound tightly in the man's hair. Castiel's eyebrows furrowed as the language English flowed into his neocortex; Latin was a second language to be stored away, along with an ancient language called Hellion.

The merman pulled back slowly, his lids lowered to half mast as the information he gathered from the human settled in his brain. He felt dazed as confused green eyes met his. "What...the...fuck?"

Castiel tilted his head as the man scrambled away; a small pout worked over his face as he slid further back into the water. "I merely wished to speak as you do..." His voice was surprisingly gruff in this human's language; Castiel lifted the tips of his fingers to his lips with a small look of wonder. "Your language is...strange. A mixture of Latin, German, and French; it's interesting."

The man was giving him a hard stare; the knife used to slaughter the group of human's was gripped tightly in his hand. "What are you?" Castiel glanced over his shoulder to see his sisters had abandoned him with this strange and captivating human; he sighed softly before turning back. "You don't look like a demon, nor do you look like an incubus." The man stood, inching slowly towards the merman; he snorted, keeping the tip of the knife pointed towards the ground.

"If anything, you look like a damn mermaid."

Castiel watched as the man crouched in front of him; without thought, he lifted a hand to rest on the human's cheek. He felt the man's jaw tense before becoming slack; the merman wondered if his skin felt unpleasant. "I am not a 'mermaid,'" He made a face at the taste of the words on his tongue. "My sisters and I...we do not know what we are. We are family."

The human lifted the hand holding the knife to the merman's throat, barely pressing the tip against the hollow between his collar bones. Castiel watched the man's eyes shift from the interesting shade of green to a somewhat inky colour; there was a tick in the man's jaw that the merman could feel under his hand while the knife began to shake ever so slightly. "Family, huh? Yeah...that's what Sammy said." The knife fell along with the human's hand into the sand. "Take it from me, man. These days, family doesn't mean shit." The man blinked, his eyes returning to green instantly.

Castiel moved his hand from the man's face, dropping to the sand next to the knife. He cocked his head, interested in the land walker's melancholy. He wanted to move closer, but the sand prevented this. The man's eyes met his, and he saw a small flicker of a smile cross over his face. "What's your name?" Castiel's hands clenched in the sand, the grains quickly drying out his normally moist skin.

"I am Castiel." The English still felt strange on his tongue, but the human seemed to have understood because he nodded.

"Dean."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Dean stood; Castiel watched as the man's leg muscles flexed in the sand as he walked. A feeling of sadness washed over the merman as he stared at Dean's legs in jealousy. Legs seemed so much more useful than a fin, and as Castiel watched the human begin to gather things from the bodies of the group of men, jealousy welled uncomfortably in his gut. He slipped quietly into the water, ignoring the confused glance that was thrown his way.

()()

Days later, Castiel returned to his family's island. His sisters weren't talking to him; they blamed him for the slaughter of their potential lovers, hissing curses at him whenever he tried to swim in their school. Anael had pulled him aside, her eyes hard and showing no pity. "You are no longer welcome with us." The words were a blow, catching on his heart like a knife.

"...what?" His voice was ragged, no longer smooth with song as it had been before he had learned the English language. Anael flinched at the roughness; her delicate brow furrowed and she fixed him with a level stare.

"You allowed a murderer on our island. It is tainted with that...that thing's evil, and you are as well." Her voice was coolly dismissive; Castiel felt his throat close at her glare.

His head buzzed with sadness and anger; his hands quaked at his side while he lifted his gaze to her. "You are a hypocrite, Anael. The man you had fall in love with you killed one of our own, and yet you let him into your arms." He watched her face crumble with the memory. "I am glad you are casting me away; I would rather die than remain in this farce of a family any longer."

He swam away in a huff, his brows furrowed in anger and his eyes leaking salty tears that mixed with the ocean.

()()

Dean's eyes lifted as Castiel emerged from the water; he held a clam over a flickering thing that emitted heat as the merman got closer to the land. "...you look like shit." The land walker remarked, turning the clam over. Castiel watched his movements, eyes wide; the flickering thing was beautiful...he lifted a hand to touch it, scooting closer on the sand. A rough fingered grip clamped around the merman's wrist; Castiel lifted his gaze to meet Dean's, a confused frown dipping his mouth low.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you."

"Why?"

The man rolled his eyes, letting go of Castiel's wrist and taking the clam out of the flickering thing. "You'll get burnt; fire'll do that to ya."

Castiel's brows furrowed; he let his hand flop to the sand. "What is...'fire' and what is 'burnt'?" He pronounced the new words slowly, his nose wrinkling in distaste. They didn't sound like nice things. Dean chuckled softly, cutting out the clam's center with his knife; Castiel silently said a prayer to the gods for the little clam, but his face showed nothing.

Dean chewed thoughtfully, mulling over the answer in his head. "Fire is that," He gestured towards the flickering thing. "It gives humans warmth, and you can cook food in it. Getting burnt is when you touch the fire and it sorta...cooks your skin." Green eyes flickered over Castiel's body, noting the moisture still clinging to the skin and scales. "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't like that."

The merman glanced from the man to the fire, soaking the new information in like a sponge. He didn't know what 'cook' was, but he assumed that was what Dean was doing with the clam; he folded his hands and rested them on his fin. "Dean?" The man grunted. "What is it like with legs?" Castiel wanted to know everything about the human realm; the man in front of him was so interesting and new. The merman had given up his school, his family for this man...

Dean shifted, the fire causing his eyes to become ink-black. His expression was grim and a tad calculating. "...do you wanna know for yourself?"

Castiel's eyebrows furrowed, and subconsciously he moved closer to the human. "What...do you mean?" He cocked his head, mouth turned downwards in something of a pout. Dean fully turned towards the merman, and Castiel noted with surprise that the fire hadn't been the cause of his eye change; inky black pools stared at the merman as if he were a finely priced meat in the market.

Dean grinned crookedly. "I can give you legs. Let you give them a test spin and see if we have a deal." 

Castiel glanced from the fire to Dean, hands fidgeting. He licked his lips, mind fumbling with the many options presented to him; the merman sucked in a breath and then locked gazes with Dean, unnerved slightly by the inky pools staring back at him. 

Fingers tightening to fists, Castiel straightens his posture. "Yes." 

The grin that curls over Dean's mouth is purely demonic.


End file.
